Haiti's government to oversee canal project that prompted Dominican Republic to close all borders

Source: Associated Press

Haiti’s government to oversee canal project that prompted Dominican Republic to close all borders

Updated 3:05 PM EDT, September 21, 2023

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Haiti’s government on Thursday doubled down on the construction of a canal on Haitian soil that would divert water from a river it shares with the Dominican Republic, which in response last week shuttered land, air and sea borders between both countries.

The Haitian government said on social media that the agriculture ministry is working with a group of Haitians building the canal so that it meets technical standards and ensure it would not negatively affect crops and people living in the nearby Maribaroux plain, which is under a drought.

The canal “MUST BE BUILT,” the government said in a series of posts on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter.

It added that “the ministry always remains available to sit with all sectors concerned in the construction of the canal for a better planning of the construction sites. Without forgetting that mobilization is the expression of solidarity and patriotism of a population that shows the world that Haiti is an adult nation.”

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/haiti-dominican-republic-canal-river-border-638e9ea08db3b18e91cfbdbc341b1e8b